James Franco Is Married to the Mob in New Trailer for The Deuce

The latest trailer for The Deucepaints another lurid picture of 1970s New York City during the rise of the porn industry. Written and directed by the acclaimed creator of The Wire, David Simon’s latest small screen drama series for HBO will track the lives of several colorful characters living in and around Times Square in the late 20th century.

Starring James Franco (The Disaster Artist) as twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino – who work as fronts for the Mob – and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) as a local sex worker named Eileen “Candy” Merrell, The Deuce will be co-written by Simon and frequent collaborator George Pelecanos. Following the rise of the porn industry in context with the attendant HIV epidemic, burgeoning drug culture, and real estate booms and busts of the period, Simon appears to have quite the showstopper on his hands.

In the footage featured above, potential viewers of The Deuce can see for themselves just how exciting the new HBO original series may soon become. Much like all of the rest of the Deuce footage seen thus far, the latest trailer for the show highlights the characters portrayed by co-stars Franco and Gyllenhaal, and by all accounts offered their performances should result in another winning historical drama from Simon and Pelecanos.

The Wire remains a frequently cited original drama series that retains its status as one of the very best TV shows of the 21st century, and Simon doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon with his latest small screen offering. The Deuce will likely be a must see event when it finally airs its eight-episode first season later this fall, and Simon fans will want to take notice when it does.

With Franco and Gyllenhaal in tow – in addition to supporting performances from the likes of David Krumholtz (The Good Wife), Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid), and Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick) – The Deuce has enough star power standing behind it to really make an impact. Whether or not it will serve to live up to the reputation of The Wire remains to be seen, but here’s to hoping for the very best from Simon and company in the meantime.